Drive
by swishandflickwit
Summary: "Let's face it, we're two lonely people. And I need you, Granger. I need you to understand me because in this room, I'm not the only one who's dead. I'm not the only one who's lifeless. It's you, me both kid." Draco and Hermione find a reason to live.


**A/N: Warning, read at your own risk.**

* * *

They met at the pub every night.

The pub was dark and dingy. It positively reeked of forgotten dreams and broken futures. It wasn't the kind of place where you'd find them.

Yet that was where they were, every single night.

But, neither of them really knew _why_.

Neither of them really bothered to find out.

"Have you ever felt so dead inside that you wanted to do something so reckless just to prove you're alive?"

She placed her thumb into the mouth of her beer bottle until it appeared to be stuck. Then she pulled it out and it made a "pop" sound. He paid that no mind as he took a drink of his beer (his third bottle).

"If you haven't then you're lucky. I'm so bloody bored and unsatisfied that I'm past the point of being just, dead." He looked up from his beer bottle to rest his gaze on hers, "I mean, do you get it?"

She stared blankly at him. She didn't want to respond because she didn't know, not how to respond but rather, _what_ to respond.

Her being unresponsive didn't bother him at all. In fact, it spurred him to go on. For some reason, he _wanted_ her to understand.

"It's like, breathing air that isn't there," He made a gesture that she supposed was him trying to make air by putting his hands out in front of him, facing each other as if it were holding a ball, "or maybe even having a plastic brain."

At that, she shot him an amused glance.

"A plastic brain?"

He took a drink while waving his hand as if he was waving off her comment.

"Mm," He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and proceeded with his odd gestures and ramblings. "It's more than just being simply dead, Granger. I'm fucking _lifeless_. I mean, does that even make sense?

"You know sometimes, when I'm doing nothing – which, come to think of it, is pretty much all the bloody time – I have this _urge_. It's the kind that makes me want to poke my eyes out bloody just to let me feel that I can, still in fact, _feel_.

"I want to steal some random muggle's car keys and sneak his fucking car out and just _drive_."

She shot him another amused glance. "You know what a car is? And how to operate it?"

"I want to fly up to the bloody top of the Astronomy tower, up into the roof, pop some bottles, drink and watch the bottle caps float to their end."

They both took a drink of their beer.

He slammed his bottle on the bar table and stood.

"I want to rob Seven Eleven."

She put a hand up to cover her smile.

"Sit down, Malfoy."

He ran a hand through his hair and stared at her in aggravation, ignoring her command.

"But hell, what's the point? I can do something reckless but _what's. the fucking. point_?

"What's the point of sneaking the car out if no one's there to push it out while I steer? What's the point of flying all the way to the roof of the Astronomy tower and _drinking_ if there's no one to clink bottles _with_? To get _wasted_ with? What's the point of robbing Seven Eleven if you're the one doing all the work with no one to watch your back?

"I mean, do you get it? Do you _see_?"

Amusement was all she was giving him tonight. "That's a lot of 'What's the points.'"

He looked at her like she was crazy and sighed.

"I want to do something extreme. . . Dammit, I want to _live_. But hell, what's the point of living if there's no one to live for?"

"Let's face it," He pointed to the two of them and her smile faded just a little bit, "we're two lonely people. And I need you, Granger." His eyes were pleading, his hand in a fist, clenched and stretched out towards her.

"I _need_ you to _understand_ me because in this room, I'm not the only one who's dead, I'm not the only one who's lifeless."

He couldn't stay away from her and with weary defeat he took his seat.

"It's you, me both kid."

She watched him take another swig from his beer, her own being forgotten, and she wondered when he had gotten to know her so well cause he was so spot on.

She wondered when she herself began to know why.

Because, right when he started talking nonsense, she realized just how much sense he was making all along.

She looked at him – the side of his face to the cool bar top, facing her and eyeing the scars of the table – with an excited glint in her eyes.

"Did you know," He started, tracing the said scars lightly with the tips of his fingers, "that you can't spell families without lies, friend without end, sex without ex and lover without over?"

She stood up so fast she knocked down her bar stool, but she paid it no mind as she ran to the coat rack that stood by the door of the pub and hastily put on her coat, grabbing his and tossing it to him.

Draco sat ramrod straight, quite startled with her outburst but not minding it at all. At that point, it was his turn to be amused.

"What in the blazing Merlin's pants is going on with you Granger?"

"Get up."

She wrapped her scarf around her neck.

"But wha–"

"Did you not hear me? Get up!"

He shook his head in bewilderment, got up, and made to put on his coat – albeit, slowly – all the while staring at the clinking object that she twirled between her fingers. It glinted beautifully in the light and he wondered about God (for some strange reason).

"Ok, I'm up. What's happened to you?"

She took a hold of his arm. "You just told me the reason why _we're_ here every night. Why you're here every night. Why _I'm_ here every night. I _know why_."

"Do you?" He smirked.

She was dragging him to the door but she did turn to him to say, "Yes, yes I do."

"And pray tell, what is it, and what has it got to do with your car keys." He started eyeing them again like he could obliterate them.

She smiled. "We're going for a drive."

He stopped, therefore stopping her, and placed a hand to hold his chin as if in thought, "I didn't even know you could drive a car, much less _own_ one." He smiled amusedly at her before saying, "You've been holding out on me Granger, what else are you hiding in your coat? Oh, and why are we going for a drive?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Because," She turned around smiling brightly at him, "you're not the only looking for _something_ to live for."

She started walking towards the door, twirling her keys and grabbing his arm again.

Under her breath she whispered, "And has found it."

* * *

They met at the pub every night.

The pub was dark and dingy. It positively reeked of forgotten dreams and broken futures. It wasn't the kind of place where you'd find them.

Yet that was where they were, every single night.

But, neither of them really knew _why_.

Neither of them really bothered to find out.

Until _this_ particular night.

Cause it wasn't like he heard her. . . well, not really. He didn't even know what he meant when she said what she did. But when she took a hold of his arm the second time that night, and smiled at him three times that night, he thought that maybe, just _maybe_, when she said she'd found it. . .

She was talking about _him_.

And maybe, just maybe. . .

He'd found what he was living for too. And he was looking right at her.

"Lead the way Granger," He took the hand that held his arm and wrapped it around his. He brought their joined hands across her chest and he brought his arm over her shoulders so that she was completely wrapped up in him.

He smirked.

"Let's go for a drive."

* * *

**A/N: Did that even make sense to anybody besides me? I'm pretty sure you've got questions. Blast to me all about it in a review.**


End file.
